Local effort in need of monetary donations, toys

November 26, 2012

SPRING MILLS - Besides balancing his full-time professional career and family life, retired U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Ron Stephens is among the many volunteers who are donating their time this year to the Eastern Panhandle's Toys for Tots campaign.

You may see Stephens, of Martinsburg and a father of two children, at your local Walmart this holiday season, where, on average, he stands for up to a dozen hours a day after work holding a donation bucket in full military dress blues.

Despite the long extra hours and sore feet, Stephens, whose career in the Marine Corps spanned more than two decades, said the knowledge that all his efforts are helping a worthy cause is all the motivation he needs to keep going.

"I'm juggling my professional time working, my time being a father with my two little ones and then I come out here. Today I'll put in somewhere between 10 and 12 hours, and it's very tiring standing on my feet for up to 12 hours. What gives me that extra push to keep going is when a parent walks up to me and says, 'If it wasn't for Toys for Tots, my children would get nothing for Christmas.' That keeps me going," said Stephens, who was at the Spring Mills Walmart Sunday.

He was joined by fellow Marine and volunteer Christine Glidewell, of Ranson, who served 10 years on active duty in the Marine Corps between 1978 and 1987.

"It feels good because you are helping the community and are helping kids in this area, and I know that we have a lot of kids that are in need in this area. I enjoy it. It goes back to my time being in the Marine Corps and helping each other in the Marine Corps and supporting each other," Glidewell said.

Sponsored by the Marine Corps League and the American Legion Womens Auxiliary, the Eastern Panhandle Toys for Tots campaign provides Christmas presents to needy children throughout the eight counties that make up the greater Eastern Panhandle and is part of the larger national Toys for Tots campaign, which has distributed more than 452 million toys to more than 209 million children nationwide since the program began in 1947.

Last year alone, the Eastern Panhandle campaign directly helped 790 families, providing gifts to nearly 6,000 children in the region. This year, more than 700 families have already submitted applications for assistance, a number that is expected to continue to grow as Christmas approaches, said Paul Turner, coordinator of the local campaign and commander of Martinsburg's American Legion Post No. 14.

"We already have over 700 families. We're getting in about 30 to 40 per day. We expect to have over 2,000 families by the end of Christmas season," Turner said. "We're very short on toys and money this year. We definitely need donations of toys and money."

The campaign opened its warehouse at the old CorningWare plant in Martinsburg about two weeks ago, where Shockey's has donated 54,000 square feet of space free of charge for the gift drive. Volunteers began placing boxes for gift donations at drop-off sites about a week before Thanksgiving at local businesses, organizations and retailers.

A full list of gift drop-off locations and donation sites can be found online at wvtoysfortots.com. Information on how to apply for assistance, volunteer or donate also is available online. Among the retailers participating in the campaign this year are Walmart stores in Martinsburg, Charles Town and Spring Mills; Dollar General; Goin' Postal; and Martin's Food Markets.

For families in need of gifts, the deadline to submit an application is Dec. 15.

While the campaign has received applications to assist fewer children per family this year, the program is already on track to receive applications from more families overall this Christmas season.

"We are getting a lot more people from out in the outer counties than we did before, which probably explains the increase in people," Turner said.

All of the money donated goes directly to purchasing gifts for children, and all of those who work for the campaign do so as volunteers without pay. Already, the campaign has received applications to assist about 750 families this year. Despite the challenges faced by the campaign every year, Turner thanked the generosity of the local community and volunteers who help with the program.

"Although the Marine Corps League, the American Legion and Womens Auxiliary help a lot, it's mostly because of community involvement. The community involvement is amazing, from the people that donate to the people that work in the warehouse," Turner said.

He especially thanked Shockey's, Appletown Auction, American Public University, Walmart and all of the partners in this year's campaign, as well as volunteers like Glidewell and Stephens.

"These guys give a lot. Ron spent 22 years in the Marine infantry - and you get banged up - but he's out here. He works all day, and he's out here every evening. They care a lot for kids, and that's why they are out here," Turner said. "It's tiring and it's exhausting, but I don't think there is a more rewarding thing in the world than knowing that you are helping a lot of kids that wouldn't get help."